![]() If tunnel entrances are found in buildings, seal tunnel entrances immediately with caulk.” Consider using non-wood building materials, such as vinyl siding, to avoid possible damage by carpenter bees. “To deter this behavior, keep exposed wood surfaces, including nail holes and saw cuts, coated with polyurethane or oil-base paint. “Weathered woods are a common target of carpenter bees thus, they are often found tunneling into fence posts, lawn furniture, the roof and eaves of buildings, decks, window shutters, wood shingles and siding. Under normal conditions they are not very destructive however, if several generations of carpenter bees have been tunneling in the same area, extensive damage is possible. Carpenter bees do not consume wood, but their tunneling can be destructive to softwoods and hardwoods alike. “Unlike the bumble bee that typically builds colonies in the ground, the carpenter bee is a solitary bee preferring to live and nest alone in wood tunnels. They are excellent pollinators of common garden plants such as tomatoes apparently the wood needs to be painted with an oil-based paint or sealed with polyurethane treated wood isn’t sufficient. It has the same active ingredients as the termite foam, so use whichever one you’re able to find. Note: Spectracide now also sells Carpenter Bee and Ground Nesting Yellow Jacket Killer Foam. ![]() Carpenter bees will build their nests in existing holes, if they can find them, so if you have a trap full of carpenter bee-sized holes hanging near by, they’re likely to crawl inside to check it out, and when they do, you’ll have them trapped. But it’s definitely important to block the holes right away because it forces the bees, who weren’t in their nests when you sprayed, to go in search of new nesting sites, and it also kills the larvae they’ve laid, so you don’t have more bees hatching out next year. If we’re short on time, we just cram a stick up the holes until we have time to make a more permanent fix. Afterwards, we fill the holes in with caulk or wooden dowels. Then, we treat the holes they’ve bored with Spectracide Termite Killing Foam (it’s formulated for carpenter bees, too). We hang our traps where we’re seeing carpenter bee activity. Instead of finding their way out, they find themselves in the jar, and can’t figure out how to get back out. ![]() They see light coming up from the hole at the base of the trap, and move towards it, assuming it’s the exit. Once inside, the 45-degree tunnel casts their entry point in the shadows. ![]() Carpenter bees discover one of the outer holes and crawl inside it to lay eggs. ![]()
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